


The Truth Behind The Sun

by Dylina



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Comfort, Desire, Dimension Travel, Distrust, Longing, M/M, Mystery, Romance, sun - Freeform, underground city
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:53:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29082693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dylina/pseuds/Dylina
Summary: Pre time skip Ferdinand von Aegir wakes up to discover that everyone has vanished except for Hubert. Hubert is not the Hubert he knows but an older gentleman from another dimension.For Ferdinand Week 2021
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir & Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	The Truth Behind The Sun

Ferdinand:

At first it seemed to be a day like any other, the sun was a golden pendant shining benevolent light down upon the earth. For once there were no clouds acting like curtains veiling the radiant performance of the sun. Instead the sun could perform freely on the cerulean stage. I drank in the sun, inhaling deeply the warm floral scented air. Despite the perfect temperature the monastery was eerily quiet. I expected to hear children playing and chatter but I did not hear a thing. My ears could not even detect the sound of birdsong. Everything was quiet and eerily still. 

I ventured to the dining hall and was disturbed by what I saw. There were unattended meals in different stages of being eaten. A line of plates led up to the serving area but there was no one to serve. In the kitchen pots and pans rested upon the unlit stoves full of ingredients ready to be cooked. The impression was of complete evacuation. If that was the case then why did they evacuate and there were they now?

Baffled and unnerved; I teetered in search of answers. No longer did I stroll with confidence and assurance, but with a timid grace, the silent padding of a frightened animal. I admit I was afraid, perhaps my fear was irrational, however my gut told me that something was seriously wrong. 

In the classrooms there were notes and books upon desks and lessons plans scrolled in chalk on the blackboard. The appearance was one of the aftermath of an abduction of some sort. It was strange how all the items were ready for action but the actor was absent. 

With a sense of desperation forcing my heart to hasten, I ran over the bridge into the chapel. Emptiness greeted me with cold and disturbing arms. The pews were devoid of the devout. The only music was the hollow drum of my shoes upon the ground. I also noticed that the candles were unlit. 

I scrambled back over the bridge, clumsily stumbling over my feet. I headed for the infirmary, perhaps an injured person was within. Once again I saw no sign of life, just empty unmade beds. Down the halls was Seteth's office but no one was behind the desk. My heart was in a panic, quivering possessed my knees giving me the finesse of a drunk, and tension cramped my shoulders.

In the position where Rhea once stood with her striking silhouette there was only a glimmer of light. Without the archbishop standing there all spirituality and holiness were gone. It was just another room rather than the centre of Seiros. 

Next I checked the library but books were my only company. Normally books are comforting, enlightening and engaging but on their own the books seemed to all whisper at the same time in a sinister chorus. I found myself reversing out the door quicker than I entered. My coordination was out of synch as I bumped into the wall. 

My desperation led me to forbidden territory. Access to places normally heavily guarded were available. I pushed open the door to Rhea's bed chamber, without polite hesitation. Out of breath from dashing from place to place, I bent forward upon my knees. This was when I was greeted with the first sign of life. Behind me the door slammed, nearly knocking me off balance. I spun round and stared in terrified shock as the door locked by itself. I reached for the handle but it was stiff. I am quite strong, capable of wielding heavy weaponry but the door handle wouldn't budge, not even with a little effort. 

"Ferdinand von Aegir, I have been expecting you." The deep velvety voice hit me with familiarity.

"Hubert?" I turned towards the window to see an outline of a man dark against the sunlight. 

"Yes, indeed I am Hubert von Vestra, but not as you remember." He strolled forward with a godly gait. Proud, imperial shoulders and kingly posture were his regalia . Gloves hands clutched my face with a gentleness I wasn't expecting. His thumb stroked my cheek in a manner I can only describe as tender. This was when I noticed something unusual; Hubert was wider than I remembered, in fact he filled the black clothing he adorned. Buff Hubert, it took a little time to get my head around it. He had always been a lanky asshole. 

My emotions were spiralling out of control. Embarrassingly my cheeks burned when I saw his face. No longer was he the ghoulish, gaunt, sickly gremlin faced ghost which shadowed Lady Edelgard's every movement. A face of confidence and new found independence looked down upon me with titillating eyes of striking green. With a choppy new haircut his face was framed perfectly. Oh what a face! What a face it was. His strong cheekbones, his porcelain skin and his soft smile, I was overcome with how dashing he was. 

"Hubert what has happened to you?" I was breathless and drooling. Drooling at Hubert! I could scarcely believe it. Yet, here I was stunned by how hot he was. 

"I am not the same Hubert you used to know. I am a dimension traveller. Through infinite numbers of possibilities I have searched for the only other Ferdinand to be without a Hubert. I have searched relentlessly for you. Lonely days and insufferable nights, I feared my hunt would be fruitless." He closed his eyes a moment to reflect upon his woe. 

All this information gave me a splitting headache. The unbelievable, the impossible and the miraculous were being revealed and for some strange reason I believed every word. He spoke with passion and unyielding tenderness, I couldn't reject a single thing he said.

"If you are a Hubert from another dimension then where is the Hubert from this dimension? No, let me paraphrase that! Where is everyone? I feel abandoned. Am I abandoned?" I tried to tame the pitch of my voice but I couldn't stop the squeak of dramatic exasperation . My hands flapped around in a performance of gestures. Honestly, acting like an overreacting thespian was not the intention. Hubert had inflicted me with a boyish crush which caused idiotic melodrama in my mind. 

He combed with satin coated fingers through my short hairdo, following the curve down the back of head before resting upon my nape. There he drew circles and my body nearly melted with the contact. I drew back, touching the places he had caressed. I refused to let sensations distract from my questioning. 

"I am sorry that I cannot provide you with any answers. Let me offer my assistance to investigate the strange events.Let us go to the dining hall, have something to eat and drink and discuss what we know." Hubert was calm, the very essence of everything calm entailed. In his face the gentle smile moved me, settled me and I found myself agreeing to his plan because of it. My hunger and the need for a cup of tea distracted me from my questioning . The day couldn't begin without a satisfying tea. 

As we strolled side by side to the dining hall, he rested his palm upon my back. It was like he couldn't take his hands off me. Due to the uncertainty of my situation I let it slide, there was comfort in touch.

Hubert:

From the moment I saw him I knew that he was my Ferdinand. Fate had been generous by gifting me such a little sweetheart. He was tormented by the absence of life whilst I welcomed it. With no one else to be a bother my attention would be devoted to him. His eyes were large pools of honey sauce oozing with inner depth and kindness. One could worship them as though they were the sun. Worthy of equal devotion were his lips, soft kissable lips I longed to taste. I was a devout believer in his hair, the styled do which fluttered gracefully with every moment. 

I yearned to hold his hand but that would be a violation of his personal space. We had only just met. Instead I rested a hand on his back, offering him the reassurance that he wasn't alone. 

In the dining hall I insisted upon making him omelette. There was a little stubbornness, I could see it as he squinted at me. Ferdinand wanted to resist my help. "I can cook for myself!" He boomed the statement with assertiveness. In my company he wanted to appear capable and confident. Underneath I could see his vulnerability and fear through the cracks in his noble polish. I did not supply a verbal response. I just started cooking. There was no argument, no battle of wills, he seated himself and surrendered to my care. I did allow him to brew tea while he waited for breakfast.

I served the lightly seasoned omelette. Ferdinand seemed surprised by how well prepared it was. He ate with wholehearted enthusiasm as the nourishment revived him. 

"I know nothing, absolutely nothing." He spoke in between mouthfuls. "I went to bed as normal. I woke up as normal. When I left my room I discovered everyone had vanished. I searched all to no avail. You are the first person I have seen today. In every room there was the sense of normal activity being disrupted mid flow." He spoke with flare, an encouraging tone but it was forced, I could hear the unease.

"When I arrived I noticed the inactivity. I wrapped into the nearby forest. The forest canopy provides coverage which veils the dimensional travel. It was eerily still. After a few steps I noticed that nothing moved. Normally branches would twitch from the activity of animal inhabitants. It was then that I tried to remember if I heard anything. I couldn't recall birdsong, nor insect sounds. My heart filled with dread, an awful, awful agony, I worried about you Without a second thought I dashed to the monastery."

Ferdinand stopped eating as I mentioned my concern. His eyes diverted to his plate, unable to meet the loving intensity in my eyes. 

"Once inside I headed to your room. With my eye pressed to the keyhole I spied within. Relief washed over me as I saw you tucked up in bed. My heart was able to beat again." 

I had overwhelmed him, it was quite adorable. His cheeks had blossomed with rose petals and his eyes shyly kept glancing in my direction. 

"I started investigating the circumstances. My suspicions lured me towards The Church of Seiros, an institution full of corrupt individuals. You caught me searching Archbishop Rhea's bedroom for clues."

Ferdinand laid his knife and fork in a crisscross on the plate. His hands rested upon his knees as he corrected his posture. To maintain a proper presentation of oneself must have been an essential routine, a habit of normality. 

"In any large organisation there are going to be corrupt individuals. Power attracts the selfish." He looked in my direction but not at me. His focus was upon the windows feeding light into the room. "It is well known that there isn't complete harmony in the church.A few months ago my class was sent to deal with the Western Church. If someone wanted more power or material assets I can't see why making everyone disappear would help them achieve their aim. To have power, you need peop!e to have power over. The motive will help lead us to the suspects. Why make everyone vanish?" Ferdinand has made a good, sensible point despite the abnormality of the situation.

I stroked a finger underneath his chin and guided his focus towards my face. I felt Ferdinand jump a little, clearly on edge. "The Church is the home of inhuman creatures. If an inhuman being believes humanity needs punishment then banishment is a disciplinary method." 

Ferdinand swallowed hard before he brushed my hand away. "If humanity is being punished then why am I not being punished?"

"You are a god." There was silence as Ferdinand stared at me with wild eyes. His offence was plain to see.

"Do not spout such blasphemy! Ludicrous theories are fruitless endeavours." He rose from his feet, the chair scraped upon the ground. After an abrupt turn he created space between us. I hurriedly pursued, eager to settle the storm and create sunshine with him. 

"Claim down Ferdinand, I was just speculating. We were generating ideas to help guide our actions." I spoke softly, my lips weaved velvety tones. His gift to me was a sideways glance of acknowledgement followed by a sigh of sweet air. 

"I don't want speculation, just answers...only answers." He diverted his glance skywards as though he was pleading to some supernatural force for assistance. " It is a coincidence that the disappearance and your arrival have coincided. If we are speculating, then I speculate that you are the cause."

I was wounded, my heart had never suffered such torment. "Your conclusion is logical but incorrect." Somehow I managed to hide my emotional agony with a shroud of ice. "I am able to prove my innocence. Would you like to see how I teleport?"

Ferdinand turned to face me, his interest peaked by my offer. "Yes, teleportation is an extraordinary thing to fathom. I admit I am struggling to wrap my head around the idea." He rubbed his head to express his strain. 

It was an opportunity for closeness which I planned to take full advantage of. I moved with a dancer's grace, my hand enveloped his in tenderness before I pulled him into my chest. He twirled like a pinwheel in a gail, only halting when he hit my body, I was his crash mat. Two hearts were finally together, mine beat steadily whilst his were uncountable. 

"Hold on tight!" My instruction was followed but not in the way I desired. I longed for an embrace, an opportunity to show him the protection I could provide. I received a grab of my clothing instead.

Ferdinand:

The seeds of mistrust had been planted in me. This Hubert had intentions which made me uneasy. Fragments of the jigsaw he had described to me did not fit neatly together. What had happened to the Ferdinand in his dimension? There were too many questions, they squeezed together in a clustered mess in my mind. 

When he requested that I 'hold on tight', I was reluctant to obey. Hubert harboured sexual desires and now was not the time to deal with that confusion. I did not want his arms to form a chain around me so I just gripped to his clothing, this gave me the freedom to escape if required.

Light washed over me, the blaze of a thousand sunsets merged into one spectacular watercolour painting. Tornados of flames swirled around us, a rhapsody of crackling, howling and hissing was the serenade. We did not burn, there was no noticeable temperature, it was a surprisingly comfortable climate. My heart raced, every nerve erupted into life but I was not overwhelmed. Tingling, a sensation of warm pins and needles tapped my skin and it felt pleasant. 

Was I fearful? Yes, the scenery was stunning but unnatural, like a fiery hell where nothing seemed to be real. Hubert wasn't comfort but a disquieting mystery, albeit a very attractive one. I could tell what he wanted, in his eyes I could see the way he looked at me, to him I was something special, something treasured. When he said that I was a god I had to wonder if he meant that I was his god. The thought of someone considering me in such ways was overwhelming, I had no clue how to react. Until I had further information about him and my emotions were clear I would keep my distance. I did not want to give misleading messages. 

Through the light the image of scenery could be seen, a magnificent spectacle to behold. My eyes widened in wonder as I gazed upon an underground city made entirely from glistening salt. "What is this place?" The question escaped my lips in a gasp of breathlessness. 

"Those who slither in the dark have forced humanity underground. They bask in the light of day whilst we hide beneath the earth, constantly defending ourselves from their attacks." Hubert observed my fascination with a tenderness I doubt he rarely showed others. 

"Who are 'Those who slither in the dark'? It is a bit of a mouthful." Questions kept on building and building until the wall of the unanswered was too high. 

"They are ill meaning individuals who despise humanity. They perform sick rituals, blood experiments, which transform people into monsters." Hubert cupped my face in satin fingertips and gave me a sincere gaze which almost hypnotized me. "I promise that I will not let them lay a finger on you. Your safety is my number one priority."

Damn! My cheeks had turned into cherries, composure was lost in his gentleness. His words moved me yet my head still demanded caution. "Fodlan is no more?"

Hubert nodded with an apologetic look in his eyes. "Yes, You are in New Fodlan ruled by a council of nobles from the Kingdom, the Empire and the Alliance."

I scratched my head, making sense out of all this new information was exhausting. "What of Edelgard, Dimitri and Claude?"

Hubert removed his cape and draped it over me. "You look a little pale. Let me take you home to rest. I will answer all your questions, I promise you that. However the teleportation has weakened you, it is an energy absorbing process." He guided me over to a little cottage , a quaint little building, very unHubert. Over the walls roses had been carved in fine patterned decorations. The carvings were exquisite, the intricate detail was mind blowing. In the windows were fabric blinds covered in golden swirls, ornate and fancy. 

Once inside he settled me down on a beanbag and engulfed my slim frame in oversized fleece blankets. In all honesty my body welcomed the warm. I felt my muscles slacken and melt into the loveliness of the fabric. My shoes were removed before Hubert dutifully washed my feet. I cooed softly, unintentionally, his touch just felt soo good I couldn't help but relax. 

Hubert:

I had cocooned him in my finest blankets and seated near an open fire. Warm and safe, that was my priority. He was a precious gemstone and I was the locked chest keeping him from thieving hands. To aid his comfort I removed his shoes. Swollen and hot, they had suffered enough. I cleaned them with great care, lightly rubbing the incline of the sole and flossing between his toes. Hark; he sang for me in coos sweeter than birdsong. The beautiful music brought paradise to my ears briefly. Further songs were sung as I massaged his sore feet. I listened to a background of soft breaths. I rolled up his trouser leg to access his ankle and calf. I continued to work my magic hands as he moaned into my touch. He was butter and I was the flame as I melted him into submission. I summoned sleep with my massage. His heavy eyelids sealed shut, his breaths drifted into calm and his body slumped as he left my world for his dreams.


End file.
